Organization · Micro VC
Textbook Ventures
Textbook Ventures is a pre-seed venture capital fund based in New York City, focusing on early-stage founders from Columbia University, Cornell University, NYU, and the broader NYC area. The firm engages with university startup ecosystems to support exceptional talent at the earliest stages.
Overview
What Textbook Ventures does
What Textbook Ventures is
Textbook Ventures is a pre-seed venture capital fund based in New York City, focusing on early-stage founders from Columbia University, Cornell University, NYU, and the broader NYC area. The firm engages with university startup ecosystems to support exceptional talent at the earliest stages.
How it participates in the startup ecosystem
The current public profile supports funder capabilities. Each capability below is shown separately so organization identity and role-specific information do not get conflated.
Operational profile
Organization status and context
Organization status describes the entity itself. Funding and program availability appear within the relevant capability profile.
- Operational status
- Active
- Organization type
- Micro VC
- Structured capabilities
- Funder
- Last reviewed
- May 5, 2026
Official channels
Find Textbook Ventures elsewhere
Open the official website or a supported primary organization account.
Capability profile
Textbook Ventures as a funder
Investment thesis
Textbook Ventures backs the best founders from Columbia, Cornell, and NYU at the earliest stages, leveraging university networks to identify and support early-stage startups.
Focus narrative
Textbook Ventures invests primarily in early-stage startups, specifically at the pre-seed level. The fund targets founders and ideas emerging from the academic institutions in its vicinity, aiming to support innovative projects that have the potential to grow into successful businesses.
Value beyond capital
Textbook Ventures adds value to its portfolio companies by providing access to university entrepreneurship resources, founder sourcing, events, and academic/operator networks, helping startups navigate the early stages of their development.
Terms and economics
- Typical check
- $50,000–$250,000
Focus and fit
- Stages
- Pre-seed · Seed
- Regions
- North AmericaUnited States
Availability
- Currently deploying
- Yes
Portfolio and track record
- Recorded portfolio count
- 5
Portfolio context
Notable portfolio companies include Elm AI, a Cornell University spinout focused on AI-driven supplier sustainability; Helix Earth, a climate hardware company developing NASA-rooted HVAC technology; BranchLab, an AI platform for pharma commercialization; and Jericho Security, which offers AI cybersecurity training solutions.
Common questions
What to know about Textbook Ventures
Upseed classifies Textbook Ventures under the Micro VC organization type. Its current public profile includes funder capabilities.
Source and update disclosure
Know what this page is based on
Source basis
Public organization and program material, official websites, and structured Upseed records.
Last reviewed
May 5, 2026
Known limits
Capability profiles appear only when a structured public profile also contains decision-useful role evidence. Terms and availability can change.
Upseed is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the organization described on this page.